The People in Your Neighborhood: Brooklyn Singer-Songwriter Luke Rathborne

We’re back with The People in Your Neighborhood, our ongoing search to find out where the coolest kids in Brooklyn hang out and whether any of them use the same laundromat as us. Last week, 22-year-old New Yorker Who Is Better Than You Luke Rathborne released his debut split-EP album, a stunning two-piece compilation of melancholic folk-pop. This week, he’s opening for The Strokes at SXSW. Before heading to Austin, let’s find out where he hangs out back here at home, yes?

Neighborhood?South Williamsburg

Best place to drink?Lucky Dog

Best restaurant? Thai on South 2nd

Best bookstore or record store?The best book store is Book Thug. You can’t beat Spoonbill either.

Best person in the neighborhood whose name you don’t know?I saw this guy with a beard the other day. He was walking his bike. He had on a tie-dye kind of shirt and had a mustache. Have you seen him?

Best grocery store or farmer’s market?South 1st late-night Deli staff are nearly legendary at this point.

Best outdoor spot?Grand Street Park!

Best place to attend a show/view art/see a movie?There are a lot of talented artists in Williamsburg, but I think the best artists are still showing on the gallery row in Chelsea. Check out Andrew Guenther at Freight and Volume. I like that theater by the Chelsea Hotel, too.

Best coffee shop?Oslo

Best subway line?The JMZ of course!

Best date spot?California

According to neighborhood folklore, are there any celebrities in the area?Morrissey lives in the top floor of The Edge. Spread it around.

Which are there more of: dogs, bodega cats, strollers, American Apparel ads, or old men on stoops?I’ve seen a lot of old dogs on stoops with American Apparel ads, but I’m just a cat.

What’s missing from your neighborhood?There doesn’t seem to be as much robbery as a few years back.

What’s the biggest change since you’ve moved in?The robbery thing.

It’s a Saturday night in March. You don’t feel like traveling very far but are antsy for a night out. Where do you go?Walk over the Williamsburg Bridge without shoes. When you get to the middle lay down and pretend you’re an icicle.